News

New £11m Magee teaching block ‘will help boost economic growth’

The four-storey facility, which is attached to the existing library, covers a floor space of 4,000 sq metres, and includes three lecture theatres, 20 teaching rooms, open-plan student hubs and a cafe.

The new teaching block will increase the capacity of the campus for additional students and features a 314-seat lecture theatre representing a significant increase on present facilities.

Malachy O’Neill, Provost of the university’s Magee campus, said: “Students across all faculties and disciplines will benefit greatly from the new facilities, both academically in terms of the high quality teaching environment provided and also socially, with access to relaxed cafe spaces and student hubs encouraging an interactive experience.

“The new block features the largest lecture theatre ever constructed on the campus – with capacity for over 300 students. The facility will also be a huge civic asset, offering a fantastic conference centre with incredible views of the city, and we are looking forward to welcoming even more local and international visitors to the campus.

“Facilities such as these are vital to ensuring we have the best quality teaching environment for our students whilst also serving the needs of the wider community and supporting economic growth in the region.”

The expansion of Magee campus will be further enhanced if the proposed postgraduate medical school goes ahead. The initiative has the support of the local health and social care trusts and the GP partnerships.

The curriculum of the proposed four-year graduate entry programme will have an anticipated yearly intake of 80 students beginning in September 2019.

Professor Paddy Nixon, vice-chancellor, Ulster University, said: “As an inclusive and internationally focused university, we want to offer students the most dynamic and high quality teaching environment possible – one that will confidently provide the foundations for rewarding careers for our graduates.”